LE CHIC: Winter Essentials

...things that will keep you warm physically and emotionally

Dear friends,

The winter months ask for care.
Especially the ones after Christmas, when the anticipation is gone and we’re left with sheer optimism that it will eventually get warmer, lighter, and better. Especially in Berlin, where it’s freezing, dark by mid-afternoon, and the sidewalks are so slippery that people are, quite literally, ice skating to work (I’m not joking).

This is usually the point in the year where I start editing life down to its essentials. Fewer plans. Softer days. Earlier nights (I try!). More treats. Small luxuries and occasionally bigger ones. Winter can feel heavy. I try not to fight it, but to move through it well – by choosing things, habits, and rituals that make the season easier to live with.

This is LE CHIC: Winter Essentials – not an essential list in the strict sense, but a collection of things I personally find chic. Some are practical, some are comforting, some are simply uplifting. Everyone has their own winter routines. These just happen to be mine – small choices that bring warmth to the body, calm to the nervous system, and a little lift to everyday winter life.

Lots of love,
Franzi

Daily care & Regulation

• Supplements, edited – a small selection you actually take

• Vitamin D through winter, magnesium at night

• Yoga or breathwork, short and regular

• Ultra-red lighting in the evening, nervous-system friendly

• Qigong movements for lymphatic drainage in the morning

• Dry brushing before showers, for circulation

• Walking in the cold, even when you don’t feel like it

• Eat your protein, a small detail with a big impact

Warmth & Dressing

• A coat that is the whole look, no styling required (this one’s maybe?)

• Heattech layers, invisible but essential

• Warm cashmere socks for evenings at home

• Mittens you genuinely love and/or gloves you can use your phone with

• Fur-lined shoes – cold feet ruin everything. These changed my life!

• A new cashmere jumper, worn constantly

• A beautiful bonnet, warm and slightly unexpected

Home & Atmosphere

• A candle-lit room at any time of day

• Fresh flowers, even in winter, because they change the mood immediately

• A new vase

• Animal-printed furniture, one piece only – winter can handle a little attitude

• Stainless steel objects that feel good in the hand (Luise Roe, Georg Jensen energy)

• New sheets – midwinter bedding upgrades

• Hot water bottles, still undefeated

• Finally framing your pictures – winter evenings are for finishing small projects

• Phones left outside the bedroom

Rituals & Rhythm

• Starting the day with tea time, before screens or everything else

• An actual alarm clock, so your phone isn’t the first voice of the day

• Warm breakfasts & early dinners

• Repeating meals and routines to reduce decision fatigue

• Music – one playlist, played often

• Re-reading a familiar book (my go-to)

• Minestrone on repeat

• Staying in your pyjamas, all day long

• That one exhibition you keep thinking about

Skin & Scent

• Rich skincare for the cold

• Favourites you return to every winter (Susanne Kaufmann, Weleda, Team Dr. Joseph)

• Don’t forget hands and lips

• An occasional face mask

• A winter scent, chosen once and worn often (yum!)

Objects that support life

• A big tote that works with winter coats (still eyeing this one)

• Business cards you actually like handing out

• A great notebook

• A reusable bottle that fits into a full winter bag

• A wallet or cardholder that feels good in the hand

• A scarf that doubles as a blanket

• Things that earn their place through daily use

Seasonal Editing

• Earlier nights without apology – winter sleep needs more hours

• Smaller social circles

• White space in the calendar, planned rather than hoped for

• Spring-cleaning your wardrobe already now, while winter is still happening

• Letting go of things that no longer feel supportive

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Franziska Steinle writes from Berlin, mostly about beautiful things – your source of inspiration, fashion, (pop) culture and more. Catch behind-the-scenes, daily picks and life in general on Instagram @franzi.steinle.

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